Cowboy Capital to Ghost Town ~ D. K. Deters

In the early 1800s, Tascosa, Texas, was a campsite beside the Canadian River for hundreds of settlers heading westward. Sheepherders from New Mexico and cattlemen followed this vital crossing into the Texas Plains.

Tascosa School (Courthouse in background)

The town began in 1876, when a blacksmith built a one-room adobe by a creek called Atascosa. Shortly after, more businesses arrived, including a general store, the Exchange Hotel, the Tascosa Pioneer newspaper, and the Equity Bar.

Cowboys standing at bar inside the Equity Bar at Tascosa, Texas.

When local businesses applied for a post office under the name Atascosa, they were told the name was already claimed by a town and county in South Texas, so they dropped the “A” from the spelling.

With the addition of more businesses, the town grew and developed into two sections: Upper Tascosa, home to upstanding citizens, and Lower Tascosa, known as Hogtown, where saloons, dance halls, and soiled doves attracted a crowd.

Back in the day, several well-known ranches existed in the area, including the LS, the KIT, the Frying Pan, and the XIT.  The names of cattle barons Charles Goodnight, John Chisum, and George Littlefield have become legendary. A cattle trail connected Tascosa to Dodge City, and Tascosa soon earned the title “Cowboy Capital of the Panhandle.”

Other famous figures associated with the town include Billy the Kid, Henry Brown, Pat Garrett, and Charlie Siringo, whose names remain intertwined with the Old West.

More than twenty-five people are buried in Tascosa’s Boot Hill cemetery, including four who died from the 1886 “Big Fight at the Jenkins Saloon,” also known as the “Tascosa Gunfight.”

What led to Tascosa’s decline? Several factors over the years played a role, including barbed wire. The Frying Pan Ranch and the XIT fenced in the open range, which blocked cattle trails leading into town. The railroad bypassed the town, further isolating it, and in 1893, heavy rains flooded the Canadian River, destroying most of the buildings.

Tascosa Courthouse

While Old Tascosa is a ghost town, the area is home to Carl Farley’s Boys Ranch. The only sites remaining from Old Tascosa are the courthouse (now a museum), the frame school (converted into a home), and Boot Hill.

Tascosa School

The Stories We Share ~ D. K. Deters

 I’m a Western historical romance author. Another title might be wordsmith, storyteller, or wordslinger.

As a child, I thought my dad was the best storyteller ever. Dad was a towering figure at six foot three, wore a black Stetson, and had one of those voices that reminded me of a trail-tough cowboy. His stories also influenced why I write about the Old West today.

Like many kids, I grew up with the allure of the Old West through Westerns on television. The majority were reruns, but that didn’t sway our enthusiasm. These tales of frontier life brought our family together for a few hours every week.

My folks hailed from southeastern Kansas, where we lived for several years. Dad’s stories often included the Dalton Gang, the Benders, and the James Gang, making the Old West part of our family history.

What kind of stories? Well, my favorite is about my great-grandfather. He was born in 1860.

One day, when he was ten (or so), he was instructed to go down by the road and wait for a neighbor to bring the mail. While he waited, he passed the time playing with a deck of cards. It wasn’t long before a cowboy rode up and inquired what my great-grandfather was doing. As he explained, the stranger dismounted and asked if he might play cards, too. After a while, the fellow mounted up, but before he left, my great-grandfather asked him his name.

 The stranger stared back. “You can tell your friends you played cards with Jesse James.”

 Was he the outlaw Jesse James?

I suppose my great-grandfather could have made up the story and passed it down to his children. My dad may have just wanted to see my eyes get big. But I like to believe that Jesse James needed to stretch his legs and might have missed his children.

Can I prove it? Uh, no, but I always keep that simple story in mind when I’m writing.

It’s fun to picture this curious boy playing with bent cards that amounted to half a deck. I can see the ruts in the road from heavy wagons pulled by strong horses past corn fields and hedge post fences. It’s easy to imagine the disbelief crossing the kid’s suntanned face as the stranger galloped away.

This story prompts my imagination and transports me, if only for a fleeting moment, to that dusty road where I witness the card game between my great-grandfather and the infamous Jesse James.

Perhaps this narrative will inspire you to pen some of your relatives’ stories. The stories might seem mundane after hearing them for the umpteenth time, but your grandkids will love them!

In The Market For Love

 

 I'm excited about my new book releasing this week. 

I would never have written story if it wasn't for my amazing readers.

Of all the books I’ve written, and all the characters I’ve created, the one request I received the most often has been for Ransom Kressley’s story.

Years ago, I wrote Capturing Christmas - a story where the hero, Kash, has an evil twin named Ransom. At the very end of the story, a glimmer of hope surfaces for Ransom turning his life around.

Apparently, that glimmer shined brightly enough, my readers wanted to know more.

I never planned to write this story of redemption for Ransom, but I'm so glad I did. I’ll admit, it was a bit of a challenge to wrap my head around how “new” Ransom would act versus “old” Ransom. But Kelly is a sweetheart, so if she loved him, he had to turn into one of the good guys.

He’s never opened his heart to anyone.

She wears her emotions on her sleeve.

When romance blooms, will they realize love is what they both need?

Ransom Kressley possesses the gift of gab, striking good looks, and a blistering disdain for his family’s Idaho ranch where he resides with his father and identical twin brother. His genuine passion is football, but a knee injury shattered his dreams of an NFL career. After years of channeling his frustration and anger toward those who care about him most, Ransom resolves to change. He accepts a job in Portland as a promotions manager for an arena football team and eagerly steps into his new life. As he makes a fresh start, his past continues to plague him, interfering with his chance to get to know the woman who lingers in his thoughts.

Despite her sunny smile and tender spirit, Kelly Truman isn’t in the market for love or even a relationship when she agrees to have lunch with her best friend’s soon-to-be brother-in-law. Familiar only with Ransom Kressley’s notorious reputation, Kelly is determined to keep her guard up around him. However, Ransom proves to be nothing like she expected. Soon, she realizes she cherishes time spent with the man, but fears trusting him with her heart.

When their friendship evolves into something more, will Ransom’s charm and silver tongue split them apart or bind them together?

A sweet romance full of warmth and humor, In the Market for Love is a story of hope, forgiveness, and redemption.

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes.

When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna is a member of Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West.

When Was The First Thanksgiving in North America? by Reggi Allder

Two quotes about Thanksgiving:

“Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” Lionel Hampton

“If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.” W. Clement Stone

The First Thanksgiving in North America

According to the Smithsonian, The World History Encyclopedia, and Joshua J. Mark, there is some debate about the date of the first Thanksgiving in North America. A thanksgiving ceremony was held on May 27, 1578, in Newfoundland, now part of Canada.

There is evidence of a celebration in the Jamestown Colony of Virginia in 1610. The time between 1609 and 1610 was called the starving time because of severe drought conditions. The settlers held a Thanksgiving prayer when English supply ships arrived.

However, most think of the Thanksgiving celebration in the US colonies as the harvest feast in 1621 by citizens of the Plymouth Colony Pilgrims and the Indigenous Americans of the Wampanoag Confederacy. These people taught the pilgrims to grow corn, beans, onions, and squash and helped them survive the first winter.

Though the pilgrims and native Americans had a complicated relationship, this 1621 celebration is credited as the beginning of the traditional yearly Thanksgiving holiday.

President Abraham Lincoln

In 1863, during the US Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln agreed to have Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. It is thought that President Lincoln hoped it would encourage unity in the country. In 1941 a congressional Joint Resolution officially set the fourth Thursday of November as a  National Thanksgiving Holiday.

 I wondered what the pilgrims ate for the first dinner. Many researchers decided that no turkey was served. However, historians think there may have been wildfowl, geese, ducks, and the like. Deer roasted on a spit was probably cooked, and perhaps venison stew as there were likely onions, beans, carrots, and corn. Succotash may have also been served. Sorry, there were no pies for dessert. :)

Today, pies are part of the festivities. My family always asks me to make pumpkin pies, but apple pie is popular at our house too. 

 

Do you have a favorite pie for Thanksgiving dinner? Please leave a comment and vote for pie with ice cream or without ice cream? 

 

Pumpkin Pie

If you love cowboys, small towns and second chances take  a look at my Sierra Creek Series. Small town romance you could start with Her Country Heart Christmas Edition and read all four the the book in the Series. :)

 🌲 NEED A FEEL-GOOD READ TO TAKE YOU AWAY? OR USE FOR A GIFT? 🌲🎅 HER COUNTRY HEART CHRISTMAS EDITION by Reggi Allder. 

What readers say: “So emotional you’ll want to read all the way through to the end!” “Perfect when you need a feel-good read.” “So good I didn’t want it to end.” “5 Stars, I’m HOOKED!!! Great characters!” . “If you love small towns, second chances, and real-to-life characters, the Sierra Creek books are for you!” There are four of them.

Will Amy have a home for Christmas?

Amy Long needs a forever home. Downsized, she lost her apartment in the city and returned to the small town of Sierra Creek to find a fresh start. However, she's in the way of cowboy Wyatt Cameron’s plans and as executor of her grandmother’s estate, he has the power to send her packing. If Amy and her little boy can't stay on the farm, they will have nowhere else to go. What can she do to change Wyatt Cameron's mind?

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Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate the day! Thanks for coming by. Hope you will stop by again. Reggi

Author of Small-town Romance and Romantic Suspense Novels